A Day in the Life: Stephanie (Home Business and Homeschooling with Children Ages 7, 5, 3 and baby)
My days are full to overflowing.
As if being a mom to four little ones didn’t keep me busy enough, our household also stays buzzing with:
- homeschooling
- our family business, Resound School of Music (the office is based out of our garage)
- our other family business, this blog that you happen to be reading 🙂
- gardening and preserving, as well as cooking plenty of real foods
Tonight my husband and I made a video montage of our children to send to the grandparents, and watching these precious moments made us tear up with the joy and blessing that it is to raise this family together. Busy as our lives may be (and as you read this, you’ll see that they are indeed busy), they are also rich and full and sweet.Â
Being the Type-A person that I am, I recorded a “day in our life” with great detail. I could have glossed over some parts of the day, or shared more of my ideal schedule (rather than reality), but when I planned this series, the point was to share our real, everyday lives with you. So here’s a glimpse into mine…
12:05 am Kepler, my 7 mth old baby, wakes to be nursed.
4:56 am Someone wants his milkies, again.
5:10 am Just as I’m almost asleep again, the 3 year old comes in. “I’m cold. I need a wanket”. Walking her back to her room, I see her blanket kicked off the bed and lying in disarray on the floor. I tuck her in again nice and warm, then trudge back to bed.
6:13 am The baby is crying, yet again. Seriously? In my semi-conscious stupor, I let him cry for about 5-10 minutes, hoping he’ll settle himself. He doesn’t. I get him up, change his diaper, then pull him into bed with me and nurse as I try desperately to go back to sleep and ignore the song birds outside my window.
He falls asleep in my bed at 6:50, just as my alarm sounds. Sigh… I sneak out of bed, and head to our music studio downstairs. Briefly contemplating the 30 Day Shred, I opt instead for a moderate 20 min. workout from Lindsey Brin’s Post-Natal Boot Camp (who am I kidding? They both kick my butt these days.)
Halfway through my workout, my husband brings Kepler to me, wide-awake and babbling. He lies on the ground and watches me brutalize my thigh and calf muscles, oblivious to my pain.
7:30 am It’s now my favorite time of the morning. I sit in the quiet living room with my post-workout drink (raw milk blended with a bit of cocoa, stevia, frozen bananas, chia seeds and green powder). Bible open, I begin to soak in the words of John 1, spend some time in prayer, and read a (short) chapter of John Piper’s book What Jesus Demands of the World (and wished I had time for Unglued).
7:55 am For some rare reason, a couple of the kids are sleeping in, so I wake the sleepyheads and get them started on their morning routine. We’ve only been back to our school-year routine for just over a week, so we’re still rusty, but it basically goes like this: wake, get dressed, put away jammies, brush hair and teeth, make bed, tidy bedroom.
8:30 am My husband and I enjoy a nice conversation while we get ready for the day. Both of us have been so busy lately, quality time is hard to find. I generally make it to the kitchen by 8:10 to start breakfast and unload the dishwasher, but the time spent with Ryan was worth a slightly late start.
8:55 am We sit down to enjoy a breakfast of scrambled eggs, sourdough toast with pastured butter, sauerkraut (I love the raw stuff from Pickled Planet), and a bit of a Happy Planet smoothie I got 50% off at the grocery store last night. We eat our fill, then clean the kitchen.
9:30 am Morning chores done, we start our school day half an hour late. Johanna (3 yrs) has a shirt that has mysteriously become wet, so she goes half naked while I toss it in the dryer. The 5 and 7 year old are arguing over whether each of them has been a little bit or a lot rude. I interrupt it all in a cheery voice and announce devotions on the couch.
We are going through Long Story Short, so we learn about Abram, then study a character trait in Get Wisdom (today was Obedience… mommy might have purposefully landed on that page :), and everyone takes a turn praying.
We split up. Abbie (7 1/2) takes the computer to do Teaching Textbooks 3 math (I am in LOVE with this program!), then Bob Jones Science 3. I take Caden (5) and Johanna to practice their numbers and phonics, read a BOB book, then a book on bugs. The cockroaches in the book give me the heebie-jeebies as I remember the ones that shared our Japanese apartment with us so many years ago. We finish with a page in Caden’s Math-U-See Primer, and then Get Ready for the Code phonics.
10:29 am Kindergarten is done. Recess time! The kids grab a piece of fruit and run outside. I open the computer to put today’s Keeper of the Home post on Facebook, then close it and make a cup of coffee, before starting a load of laundry and sitting to nurse the baby who is now up from his morning nap.
10:49 am Baby is fed and changed. Abbie does her phonics. I sit down at the table with her to do focused work on her language arts (grammar, narration/dictations, writing). Then on to world geography and some mapwork.
11:43 am Caden comes downstairs with rocks in hand to tell me that he’s doing an “earth experiment” because “earth is the rock that we live on”. He’s terribly serious and way too cute.
I’m trying to quickly cut and lay out cherry tomatoes from the garden on dehydrator trays, while Abbie completes her copywork. Johanna asks me to help her take a picture of the baby jumping in the Jolly Jumper. She’s momentarily heartbroken that she can’t get him to say “cheese”.
12:03 pm I wrap up homeschool a little early and get everyone eating their lunch of green-yogurt and homemade granola. The green comes from liquid chlorphyll that they like to mix in with a bit of stevia. My kids are weird, I know.
12:06 pm Johanna spills her bowl of grass-hued almond milk and granola everywhere. For once, I am grateful for a stone floor that is easy to wipe. She gets stripped (I’m having deja vu- haven’t we done this already today?), I switch over the laundry, and start a small load of her soiled clothes and the kitchen towels before they become permanently green.
12:28 pm I’m attempting to leave for the passport office with the two boys in tow (I don’t typically run errands on school days if I can help it, but our passports really need to be renewed). Or not. As I try to leave, tears and chaos and “Mommy, can I have some chicken?” ensue.
12:35 pm Ok, we’re actually out the door this time.
1:05 pm Arrive at the passport office.
1:50 pm We’re out! I’m duly impressed at how fast it went.
2:20 pm We check in with my husband (who is watching the girls while he works from home) to confirm that we have enough time for Caden to get a haircut with a coupon I have that is expiring in two days.
2:48 pm Arrive at the post-office to pick up a package for Daddy. Except that it got sent to the wrong office, and I have a tired baby and a hungry little boy so we’re going home empty-handed for now.
3:03 pm Back home. Abbie’s practicing her piano and Daddy promised her a Little House on the Prairie video when she finishes. I change Kepler’s diaper so he can go down for his afternoon nap.
3:16 pm He’s crying in the room above my hubby’s music studio, which is interfering with his recording session. Baby needs to move. I set up a playpen in our master bedroom and hope I can convince Kep and Johanna to sleep in the same room today.
3:42 pm Work on laundry.
4:14 pm Sit down to the computer when the doorbell rings. Someone is looking for the music school, and dropped in without an appointment. Grrr… I force a smile, welcome them in, and apologize for my messy living room as I frantically tidy it while they sit down.
This is one of the frustrations of everyday life with a home business. Ryan finally escapes what he was in the middle of to take this unexpected meeting, and I escape back to the kitchen to chop up sweet potatoes, melt beef tallow to coat them, and get them into the oven to become french fries.
4:35 pm Back on the computer. I order a replacement stroller wheel for our broken one, check for urgent Keeper of the Home emails, then do some online research.
5:10 pm Start making salmon cakes.
5:31 pm Fish cakes are frying, the fries are almost done. The baby is crying, and two of my kids have told me that they have upset stomachs (so I dole out spoonfuls of liquid clay). Two children have also complained of hunger. (If you do the math, you’ll realize that one child said they were both hungry AND sick… hmmm, interesting.) I’m getting frazzled and tell the 7 year old to turn on a JellyTelly video, and so our television quota for the day rises above what I prefer.
I forgo the idea of picking fresh garden green beans and sauteeing them, in favor of walking out to snip and then slice up a cucumber instead. A little less gourmet, but it’s technically still a green vegetable. That counts, right?
The baby would like to be nursed, but I can’t stop right now, so I pop him in the sling to tide him over. I check in the office to see if Ryan can miraculously come eat dinner with us. No such luck. He had to go meet a customer. We’ll dine alone.
5:49 pm Dinner is served.
6:20 pm After dinner cleanup, I go into the office (our converted garage, just off the laundry room) to help our music school office assistant for a few minutes.
6:30 pm From the office, I hear the toddler. She’s loud, but it sounds like she’s just playing.
6:33 pm She’s even louder now. Go out to check. I find out the upset tummy turned into a lovely bathroom mess and soiled clothes (her third clothing change of the day). Clean her and the bathroom up. I manage to resist just taking a hose to both.
6:39 pm Get 5 and 7 year olds back to their cleaning and vacuuming tasks, which have apparently been abandoned while mommy was distracted. Start bringing laundry upstairs to finish folding and put away (along with a clean load that’s been sitting in a basket since the weekend).
6:49 pm Ryan walks in the door, hungry. Stop laundry to dress the still-naked toddler, then go reheat a plate of dinner for him. Put my energies towards finally getting the laundry finished, wrangling up all four kids and moving them towards bedtime.
7:57 pm Three little ones are in bed and the fourth will be soon. Now I spend a couple hours writing and doing blog work, while Ryan works on his laptop beside me. I am oh-so-tired and reading a book and then going to bed early sounds lovely, but sometimes, this is the reality of being small business owners. Some nights, we manage to take a break earlier and spend the evening together. Right now is a particularly busy season for us.
As I was writing this up, I thought I had picked such an unusually busy day to record for my “day in the life”. And it was a long, busy day, but only slightly more than usual. Our lives are very full right now and that’s ok.
If I focus on the good (and not the hectic or exhausting) aspects of life, and rely on the grace and strength that God pours out in abundance, then there is so much beauty in the midst of it all.
Quite moments with the Lord in the morning, a hot cup of coffee, giggling at my kids antics, short but sweet conversations with my husband, sharing this online community with all of you, stepping outside in the glorious fall sun to pick veggies from my garden. I can’t imagine life any other way.
Thank you for sharing, Stephanie! I find it so encouraging to read about people’s “real” and not their “ideal” schedule! Kudos to you for running a business and homeschooling 4. Can’t imagine!
My 3 year old gets mysteriously wet too….what’s that about? Ha!
I know, right? Where do they manage to find all of this water?
Each of my older kids (4 and 3), but especially the 3-year-old tends to need to change clothes several times a day. Actually the 4-year-old usually doesn’t “need” to, but insists on doing so anyway because she found something “prettier” to wear….
I’m so jealous of all the mommies whose babies take a morning nap consistently until they are like 15 months old!! Which is pretty much all the mommies I know! By the time they are 6 – 7 months old, my babies only take one nap a day. In fact, by the time they are taking *any* consistent naps, it’s only the one! And that is when all the kids have quiet time anyway, so I don’t have that hour or two in the morning to just work with the older kids. However, my kids also play independently VERY well, maybe better than average, so there is that. 🙂
I’m one of those mommies who has kids who take a morning nap until…well, my second just gave hers up at about 21 months! And I totally miss it!!
My girls love to take their clothes off and put on princess dresses. If we’re home all day, sometimes they just wear dress-up clothes the whole day. In fact, my 4 year old has worn a dinosaur costume all day today. We’re not even sure where it came from….I found it in her closet a few months back! I wish my toddler would keep her diaper on. It doesn’t matter if it velcros or snaps, almost every day after nap I find her sleeping with her diaper on the floor! :/
It is nice to have babies who take two naps a day. It certainly helps us with school, although he tends to be awake for at least half of our school time anyways, so I still have to nurse while I teach or find ways to occupy him anyways.
And I think my 3 year old is like your 4 year old. She is constantly putting on new dresse-up clothes or finding her fancy dresses. It is all about looking pretty. 🙂
Hi Stephanie; thanks so much for sharing. I have loved this series! My husband works at home too and so far we only have a 2 1/2 year old and a two month old but I plan to homeschool so love to read how others “do it all”. Something I’ve noticed in some of the other “day in the life” mamas is their lack of alone time. It’s made me wonder if I’m selfish. But really, I mainly only want that time in the morning when it’s quite to read my Bible and pray for a little while before my little ones wake. It really makes such a difference in my day. Even if I get that time later in the day it doesn’t seem as valuable though I need a heart change about that. Anyway, I was glad to see you enjoy that time in the morning as well.
Also, where do you buy your liquid chlorphyll ?
Well, I think that sometimes our desire for along time is selfish, and we need to check our hearts. But, I would agree that having those early morning times of quiet with the Lord can be something that really helps us to start the day well and have even more to give to our families, and so when that is our motivation, it really isn’t selfish at all!
I don’t know if you’ve heard of it, but my friend Kat runs an amazing blog called http://inspiredtoaction.com/. You should definitely check out The Hello Mornings Challenge, which is all about helping moms to make time for those quiet mornings, not because we’re selfish, but because we want to give our very best to our kids. It has really helped and challenged me. 🙂
And I just bought the liquid chlorophyll from a local health food store. The brand is Trophic, but there are lots of good ones out there.
I really enjoyed this! (And the whole series)
It makes my relatively busy life with an almost two year old and being 14 weeks pregnant seem a breeze 🙂 God bless!
Well, it’s never a breeze. It’s hard work growing babies and running after toddlers! You’re doing a great job, mama! 🙂
Thank you for sharing a day in your life with such detail. Sometimes I find myself saying “honestly, you’re up again” at 2am and then condemnation sets in….I think I”m the only mother in the world (or at least in this awesome bloggy mom community) that doesn’t greet her child with a smile at 2 am, 3am and 4:30am.
Thanks for being transparent….thanks for being real!
Blessings!
Oh, there is no way that you are the only mother in the world or in the blogosphere that doesn’t always greet her children with a smile in the middle of the night! Getting up in the night (especially repeatedly, for weeks and months on end) is just plain old hard and tiring. We wouldn’t be human if we didn’t struggle with it somewhat.
I’m not saying that it’s good that we feel annoyed or that we grumble. We should do our best to take it in stride, and react with kindness and compassion to our little ones who truly do need us. But please don’t let yourself feel condemned by the struggle. The fact that you actually struggle (instead of just thinking it’s ok) is a good sign, that you love your kids and that you desire to serve them unselfishly. in Christ, there is so much grace and mercy for our weakness. Rest in that. 🙂
What can I say, Stephanie? This was LOVELY. You are a special woman…thank you for sharing your day…it blessed my heart!!
Thank you, sweet friend. 🙂
We have a Daddy-Daughter ritual of Little House on the Prairie too! Hubby nearly always has a little tear or two. Shhh.
My hubby secretly loves it, too. 🙂
My boys love it to 😀
I enjoyed reading this 🙂 its nice to know I’m not the only one doing laundry all the time. Sometimes I wonder if I’m doing something wrong but I guess it’s just life with kiddos. I only have two kids, 2.5 yr and 3 mos.
Oh no, I think we all do laundry all the time. 🙂
Thank you so much for this series! It has blessed me. I have a 14 month old and am due with our second on November 2. I look forward to having a house full of kids and homeschooling, so these glimpses into the lives of those farther down the road than I has been so helpful. Blessings to you and your family!
I’m glad this has been helpful, Britney! Congrats on the coming baby! 🙂
Thank you for sharing your day. It is a great reminder to be aware of and thankful for the daily blessings in the midst of our busy days.
I have to be honest, reading these days that are so full for y’all…scares me to death. My husband works outside the home for 50 hours a week, and although it’s a lot, I plan quite a bit of margin in my day (my kids are 5 & 31/2) but a lot of these ‘day in the life’ series posts seem to have very little down time…if any at all. Perhaps I’m much more sensitive to that because I’m a huge introvert who keeps getting more and more introverted (because of having little kids who cling! need! talk! all the time), but I see this as a fairly unsustainable way to keep going–for months or years-at a time.
I have great respect for this blog & for you, Stephanie, and I know blog comments can come off cold or rude–totally not my intention!! You and this blog are a huge encouragement for mothers! I just wondered if you could talk a little bit more about this–the non-stop rotation from early morning to late night. I think I’d be a crazy little ball of goo crying on the floor. It terrifies me to have more kids!
Sarah M
Sarah–I am right there with you! I’m anxious to see the author’s comments. I just commented about a small seed of resentment that can sometimes too easily sprout up within me towards my husband…through no fault of his when I have even one day that looks like this! I understand and agree that being at home and raising your children is a wonderful calling, but would really like to hear the husbands’ perspectives and/or their role in this organized chaos!
I think all of these are just example days. Wait until you read my post on Friday…Hint: It includes a 3-hour nap (ME…not just the kids!) and waking up from a deep sleep and telling my hubby it’s take-out pizza for dinner that night. 😉 (Disclaimer: I just had a baby…but I can’t say those days didn’t happen when I just had two as well!)
Funny, Erin. I had a take out pizza night last week as well!! You know, I think for many of us, this is a season. My September has been filled to the brim just like Stephanie’s but I’m already seeing it slow down as our homeschool routine is setting in, the garden is dying down, and for me.. letting some things just go. I have two boys and a 3 1/2 month old baby girl. Many times, I have to say the heck with something and lay down for a nap 🙂
This makes me feel so much better, Diana! I LOVED your post (and visited lots of links on your site!), but I thought: Wow–the readers will go from real food to….take-out pizza! I shared a super chaotic/crazy day in our life! I love getting these real-life glimpses!
Don’t feel bad!!! Really this is the type of stuff that makes me feel much better because I know I am not alone! Like you, I strive for doing the best for my family, but like you, I have days like that (and days when that really is best for my family to do that!) Its okay! I don’t know why we all hide this stuff. Like we should feel its wrong or something. Its not like we are just “being lazy”. There is a very real difference between the two things and we need to be real with each other so that we don’t all feel so alone.
I had it once that I had a nap with my oldest (when I was pregnant with #2…now I also have 3 girls) and I kept sleeping and my husband came home to find me still sleeping (at that point by mistake that it was that long) in the darkened house with no supper! LOL) Its okay.
Nola, this happened a time or two for me too, when I was pregnant with my second! Husband coming home to a dark house, no dinner, and me sleeping. That pregnancy wore. me. out. It turned out I had a placental abruption, and the baby came by emergency c-section at 29 weeks. I had been losing blood internally for a short period (low iron at last two doctor appointments), and it broke through at 29 weeks. Then I lost half my blood volume when he was born. That explained A LOT about why I just wanted to sleep all the time. That took care of any and all guilt I had been feeling about doing very little during the pregnancy!
By the way, my son is now 21 months and doing fabulously! Except for speech he is totally caught up to his non-adjusted age.
Thanks for your comment, Sarah, and especially the way you respectfully phrased it. You weren’t rude in the slightest, and I always appreciate seeing you leaving comments around here. 🙂
I have a bunch of different thoughts about this:
1. There is definitely a seasonality to the busyness. For my husband and I, August and September are two of our busiest months of the year. We purposefully took a lot of family and vacation time in July in order to help us be ready to handle these months, because we knew they were coming. And by November, my life will have slowed down a bit from where it is right now. It seems that (esp. with running businesses) our lives go in waves of super busy, pretty busy, and then more normal, and it just goes up and down like that throughout the year. Which means, we don’t do this absolutely breakneck pace month in and month out. Because you’re right, it’s not sustainable. And when I tried living like this for about 8 months in a row (a couple years ago) I totally crashed. You just can’t live like that.
2. I think that it also has something to do with how we’re each wired. Personally, I have always been a very, very busy and active person, ever since I was about 13 years old. If I wasn’t running a business or homeschooling I would likely find something else to be busy with, because honestly, I enjoy it. A lot. 🙂 Many of my real life friends find my life a bit overwhelmingly busy to them, too. But that’s ok, because (usually) I enjoy it. And every once in a while, I push myself too far. And that’s when I’m glad for people to gently nudge me back in the right direction! So this level of busyness definitely isn’t for everyone, for sure, and especially if you’re an introvert I can see that it would be a bit overwhelming.
3. It isn’t necessarily the amount of children I have that makes life like this. It really is all of the extras, beyond the kids. If I was just focusing on my kids, without all the gardening/preserving, without running Keeper of the Home, or without any of the other things that I do, it wouldn’t be so crazy. Yes, my husband would still work a lot and yes, I’d probably still homeschool. But I think that I could make choices that would make life much slower if I wanted to, despite having four young kids. So don’t let us scare you! I won’t say that adding children doesn’t add extra work or stress, because it can and does, at least sometimes. I’m just saying that the numbers aren’t what makes life look like this. It’s the choices of what we do or don’t engage in, you know?
I hope that answers your questions somewhat. I’ll be honest and say that sometimes, I wish I let myself just lead a slower, simpler life with more margin. There isn’t a right or wrong way to do any of this, and I definitely respect women who approach life that way. I bet you get more sleep, get less frazzled, and find more time to enjoy simple pleasures. Sounds pretty good to me. 🙂
I just wanted to add (respectively, so hopefully this doesn’t come off the wrong way) that I’m a mom of 3 young kids and I DON”T blog because I would NOT be able to handle it. I NEED a slower life and NEED to not be so busy and I have learned that its okay. So like Stephanie said don’t be afraid to have more children because although my day is busy and crazy at times its slower than Stephanie’s because I don’t blog.
Thanks for your response (and all the others!). I actually did the ‘break-neck speed of life’ for years and years and once I had my first child and was hit with PPD, I was knocked out. I can’t even remember much of the first year of life of either of my kids, but I remember them being difficult, so there is that background aspect, too.
I think I understand what you’re saying, that it isn’t all the time and it peaks and declines throughout the year. I suppose I feel that way, too, but the last year and a half I’ve *really* tried to not do things out of the house during weeknights. I was finding it incredibly stressful and I was never feeling relaxed just “wake up and do it all over again”. I have definitely ‘down-shifted’ in the past 2 months.
My best friend (who is high-energy, very productive, who doesn’t have children yet) and I joke about the fact that we can get more done in an hour or two than most people can in a day….but I realized that speed, especially during this past summer, was robbing me of joy in my life!
We home-school, are very involved in our church, I am an Usborne consultant, in a bible study, my husband has a weekly class, AND we’re leaders of a home-group…along with everyday life stuff like seeing our close friends and family. I think this is an unearthed anxiety that I have but have trouble naming–*wanting* to do so much but the downtime my body & mind needs gets put on the back burner…then I am not the best version of myself!
I just had to ask because as my friends around me start to have their 3, 4th, 5th babies…I start to panic and think “I can’t give up the free time I have…I can’t!” I still have conflicted feelings about this (always have)…am I selfish for wanting that, and feeling that I’m taking care of myself for owning it, or have I just been taught that throughout my life with how I was raised (that we need to do, do, do, serve, serve, serve 24/7)? Ah! so confusing…I think I need a therapist at times. LOL.
Thanks, Stephanie, and may God bless that sweet family of yours!
Sarah M
I don’t think there is anything wrong with having 2 children, Sarah M. I have two boys (4 1/2 and 21 months), and I love them dearly, but my husband and I decided on two children. Now, granted I was 38 and 41 when I had them. 🙂 We met and married later in life ( 33 and 36… I’m older). But whatever your age, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with making a decision with your husband to have anywhere from 1 to 12 children (or more). It’s individual. Others may disagree, but I agree with you. I think I’d be a crazy little ball of goo crying on the floor if I had more. Best wishes!
Sarah- I’m introverted too. I am in a season right now where my husband is gone Monday to Friday in another city while we prep to move. So I get what you mean. I have 3 kids. Its a bit much. Actually, I did end up crying on the floor for a few hours last week, while my older kids watched a video. But God did send me some help that I prayed for. Now, I’m on my own again. I have to make more down time in this season. I think everyone is different- needing different amounts of down time. And I think different seasons call for different things. Actually, I try to have down time every day no matter what the season. And I believe that is okay.
Loved reading about your day! There are many things I wish I’d known to do differently when my kids were younger (related to healthy eating and natural rememdies) so that they developed their taste buds accordingly. I did do my best and just changed things as I learned better 🙂 I can’t wait to do a detox with bentonite clay; just got off blood thinners on Friday so need to give it a week before doing the detox.
Thank you for the honest glimpse into the “real” lives of wives and mothers. It has been encouraging to me from an odd angle to know I currently have a 3 and 1 year old and baby on the way, but a far cry from what I’ve read on here! I work out of the home 3 days a week, but those 2 days home are FULL!
Although I do not consider myself any where near as busy as these moms, I sometimes struggle with a small seed of resentment that can build up towards my husband. Not necessarily any fault of his since he resembles many of the godly men from these posts, but knowing that actually leaving the house and going away to work is many times easier (since I work part time out of the home), I wonder how you ladies handle this (or if it’s even an issue).
I love my children immensely, but do struggle with the constant going that is required at their young ages…especially coming from and knowing what occurs at a corporate job (i.e. adult interaction, some amount of down time, etc.).
Well, you’re right that having young children requires constant attention and energy, and yes, we don’t get the benefit of being able to leave the house much (at least, not without our brood). There are some days or moments when that can be really hard, if I’m being honest (and I think that most moms would agree). But then all of the amazing moments that we have because we’re home with them help to keep me going in the hard times. I do sometimes have to remind myself why I do this and that my sweat and tears and efforts are doing something that is so valuable in the long term.
For me, the struggle with resentment isn’t really there in that my husband works incredibly hard on our home business (and I know, because I see him in the office and I know his crazy schedule). I can sometimes struggle with feeling like I end up alone with the children a lot when he’s working so many hours, and that can be wearisome. The best thing I’ve learned (and I don’t do it perfectly, for sure) is that when I react with resentment or anger, it doesn’t go well. If I react by expressing very calmly and at an appropriate time that I am having a really hard time keeping up with things by myself or that I’m just tired and worn out, and that I could use some help, my husband is usually very quick to respond. He tries to find ways to meet my needs, whether it’s a night out by myself, help cleaning up the house together one morning, finding a way to join us for a nice dinner (if we’ve been eating alone frequently), bringing home takeout so I don’t have to cook one night, or just planning an intentional family day on the weekend.
I loved reading about your day, Stephanie! It’s great to get a glimpse into “real” life! But oh my…how nervous I’ll be when my confessions…I mean “Day in the Life”…post goes live later this week! 😉
I love your quiet time….right now mine is a short devotional in bed. I want to get back to the sit-down time that fosters more intimacy with the Lord. If only my girls would sleep a little later!
And your coffee makes me want to break my caffeine fast, but wait, I already did that…but wait…I spilled it!
LOVE this series!! I think we need to do it every year because every year changes when you’re raising little ones!
Don’t be nervous about your post (says the woman who was totally nervous about her post last night before it went up :). The whole point is that we’re sharing real life with each other, and there’s no judgment and no rating system. We still love you no matter what. 🙂
I agree that it would be fun to do this every year. It really does change constantly, as kids move into new stages of development, new babies are addd, etc.
That sounds like a good idea. Can we do it again next year? 🙂 I could have a do-over. 🙂 I took a slightly different approach with mine, writing about my typical day, the planned routine, instead of sharing all the details of one specific day. Initially, I thought sharing my schedule/routine would be more beneficial to other mamas, but after reading yours and some of the others, I see it’s just kind of fun getting a glimpse of an actual day, unexpected distractions and all! I’ve been looking forward to all the different posts this month!
I would be up for doing it again next year! I think that is a great idea.
I loved yours, Courtney! More inexperienced moms like me DID learn from your post! I think Stephanie had a good mix from the contributors. I really do hope she decides to run this series every year…because it was a hit!
I think we probably will do it again. I know that readers loved it and I think that it was good for all of us to share our days, and read each others days as well. 🙂
Thank you for giving us a peek into your day, Stephanie. 🙂 I can totally relate to the craziness of being a mom (to 5 kids in my case – 12, 10, 5, 3, and 9 months), homeschooling, and running a business from home (blog design, blog, & ebook).
It’s hard. But, like you said, God’s pours out His grace and strength to us in abundance.
I am really enjoying this series. It is great to see such diversity among families. Everyone doesn’t do it the same and yet everyone can serve the Lord and do a great job too! So far I have been encouraged especially by everyone’s honesty! Thank you!
I ESPECIALLY enjoyed this post, you give me hope and make me feel a bit relieved Im not the only person who has as full .crazy schedule….. THANK you for sharing. Its awesome to see your schedule …
how do you manage your sanity with being SOOOO incredibly busy? And has it come easier with adding more kids into the mix?
Well, no, adding more kids to the mix doesn’t make it easier. 🙂
But, it does help that I have a couple that are starting to get a bit older and more independent, as well as more helpful. At 5 and 7 1/2, they’re still very young, but it’s amazing how much easier they are than say, the 3 year old.
How do I maintain my sanity? Take breaks or do things I love when I get the chance, occasionally call a day/evening/couple of hours off (like this morning- I started school an hour late because I just needed some downtime), make time to do things like go on dates with my husband, try to grab extra sleep when I can, have good friends to talk to, and most importantly, continue to spend time with the Lord even when things are feeling crazy.
And, recognize that busyness comes and goes in seasons. My life isn’t always this completely busy. In the summer, there was definitely more downtime and we even took some family vacations, slept in more, etc. So when it feels hectic, I remind myself that eventually it will slow down again. Light at the end of the tunnel. 🙂
Stephanie, it was so cool seeing how you run through your day. So many of it mirrors mine! I’m so happy that my September is winding down and I’m finally feeling like I’m getting a bit more rest. Sweet hugs Stephanie!
For me, I think it will be the end of October that brings more rest, but I’m looking forward to it. Glad that rest is coming for you now, friend! 🙂
This was great! I found this very encouraging…because I guess I am normal!!! LOL
Our life is crazy right now. We found out the beginning of the month we have to move (my husband was out of work, he got a new job elsewhere). Our house is on the market and I am home all week without my husband (and no family closer than 6 hours). Life is really upside down! This wasn’t MY plan but it was the only open door for us so I guess its God’s plan for us right now! I am looking forward to one day having a sense of normal again though! I’m hoping my baby doesn’t become mobile in this whole process (she’s on her knees rocking lately and trying to pull to a stand) but I am trying to just do-the-next-thing and trying to do that next thing with joy!
Of course you’re normal. 🙂 It’s often not our plan to go through these kind of busy season (in fact, hardly ever), but you’re right, it’s obviously God’s plan for whatever reason! I’m with you on working to maintain joy in the midst of it. Praying that this move goes smoothly for you!
I really loved this post! I don’t have kids yet, but it made me really appreciate my mom…I’m sure she had a few days like this with six kids!
Ah, the life of a mother! I smiled all the way through this post because God has been reminding me lately also as a busy homeschooling mama of 4 that someday, sooner than we think, we will have clean and quiet homes and we will miss our noisy children being there. They grow up so very fast and I know I’ll miss the pitter patter if their little feet so much! I loved reading about your day and I love the day in the life series!!!
Thank you for speaking to my heart today. Words cannot express the way this blessed me. May God richly bless you and your sweet family.
Hi my name is Kristina and I have a 7 month old baby. She sleeps through the night, about 9 hrs every night. I heard before I had my baby that if I drink raw milk it would calm the baby, but if I did not get enough healthy saturated grass fed fats in my diet the baby would be unsatisfied just like we are when we crave food shortly after eating. My baby started sleeping 9 hrs a night when she was about 2.5 months. My diet consists of 2.5 to 3 gallons of raw wholemilk a week, 1 tsp. fermented cod liver oil every other day, limited sourdough breads, 4 eggs a day, with pastured meats and homemade butter and raw cheeses. Yum. I noticed if I don’t get enough fats I will constantly be craving. But eggs in the morning are so satisfying, I don’t even require lunch most of the time.
Love your post! I love reading the realities of other mommies! Even when the days are full, I need to take several moments and connect with each child. I look them in the eye, ask them about their day, hug and remind them Mommy loves them. It helps keep me going 🙂
Stephanie, I love you! In Heaven can we please spend some quality time together? 🙂 If you are ever in South Carolina, PLEASE come visit. 😉
You asked what makes our days full but sweet, and I have an answer in one word: children.
I absolutely love mine, and can’t imagine not wanting to have them around for the next 20 years. They are just that: full-time exhausting energy-consumers, but also so very sweet. They are precious little personalities and souls that will never die.
I want to thank you for posting a real day’s worth of messes AND joy. I’ve read some that are so sugar-coated that I want to gag.
My husband also owns his own business and it is both a blessing and difficulty. In the end, we are thankful.
I really enjoyed getting a peek into your everyday life, Stephanie. The busyness reminds me of my days (except you don’t seem to be as forgetful as I am!)
I’m amazed that you are able to get yourself out of bed and exercise even after waking up multiple times through the night.
You have a wonderful life 🙂 Thanks for sharing so candidly.
P.S. I’m excited to see that you like Teaching Textbooks. I’ve been seriously considering it for my oldest daughter.
I’m new to your blog and really appreciate it. I always enjoy seeing how others’ days are. I noticed you dehydrate tomatoes. What do you do with them once they’re dried? I dried some this summer, but I don’t know how to use them. Thanks.
Hi. I loved reading about your day. Thanks for sharing. I have a question…. I would love to see your ‘schedule’/plan for your day. I understand that every day is different, but I am struggling to find a pattern to my day and am tired of having to decide moment by moment what to do next. I have three children 6, 4 and 3. I keep trying different things, but nothing seems to work. How do you work out a pattern?